I think once the initial shock died down, people would just normalise it... yeah there are intelligent aliens 1000 light years away, but how does that affect me in my everyday life?
I agree. I think, for years, people have overestimated the consequences to our society of discovering intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. Obviously, if it turns up here the impact will depend on its intentions. But most likely it'll be distant, and the most important change will be to our estimates of the density of life and civilisations in the cosmos. Everyone who's not involved in that research or obsessed with assigning spiritual value to everything will soon get back to proving that, on Earth anyway, intelligence is rare.
Maybe but does that not depend on the degree of interaction ?
Also mentioned in this thread,
I feel this discussion keeps repeating the same way over and again. Aye, if they turn up on our doorstep, the effects on us will be entirely down to them. I doubt we'd be enslaved. Human slaves would be useless compared to sufficiently advanced machines. I doubt we'd be food. If they're sophisticated enough to get here they've probably cracked food production in whatever forms they need it. If they can breathe our air and want Earth for expansion of their own civilization, they'll probably want rid of us. I'd suggest releasing some kind of probe swarm in the atmosphere to seek us out and eradicate us. We'd probably never see it coming and would have no defence. Little point in them modifying the planet to their biology as the most valuable thing Earth has going for it is its biosphere. But if they can't live in our atmosphere or modify themselves to do so, and Earth really does suit their needs in every other way, their job is even easier. Giant atmospheric processors land on Earth to change our atmosphere, and we'd all die, and they can start replacing our biosphere with lifeforms taken from their own.
Most Fortean discussions tend to repeat over time
Interstellar communication is a real problem. Even if we can communicate, civilisations end in the timescales in which we can respond to a, 'Hi there,' with a, 'Hey, how're you getting on?' If they're already here, of course, then we need to ask what their motives are for hiding from us. I don't buy that an interstellar species has no way to communicate effectively with a species that can't possibly be of any threat to them.
Have you ever tried talking to ants?
They might be into hunting, like The Predator. Or they might like to eat food that is 'free range'.
There would be quite some irony if we were hunted as prized game, with the finest specimens stuffed and mounted over the fireplace in some intergalactic club!
It is not really very likely that they would be able to eat us as food, or that we could eat them. Unless they have very sophisticated culinary technology, which is certainly possible.
Or they could transplant humans throughout the galaxy. Meeting a sufficiently advanced alien civilisation could be the start of a massive population explosion for each contacted species, assuming that the civilisation values cultural diversity above anything else. Of course, even if the advanced civilisation merely introduces us into a vast multispecies post-scarcity utopia, there would still be some people complaining because the human species no longer has the freedom to destroy itself.
Yes. They made me their god.
...Or because we are considered so aggressive and warlike, use our young as soldiers in their wars, in exchange for some tech - maybe a bit a fusion help, improved longevity, nano tech for health, etc- just enough to keep us useful - but without letting us out of the Solar system...?
There's also Chile...
They will have to dry us out first
